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CPI seeks to corner Congress

The CPI asked the Group of Ministers (GoM) clarify whether the Congress could ensure passage of the bill on separate Telangana in Parliament even if the BJP backed out at the last moment.

CPI State secretary K. Narayana, who represented his party, is understood to have posed repeated questions to Home Minister S.K. Shinde in light of reports that there was a change in the BJP’s stand on the Telangana issue.

Though Mr. Shinde tried to pacify Dr. Narayana ruling out such eventuality, the CPI leader remained unrelenting. At this juncture, Defence Minister A.K. Antony intervened to assure that the BJP had a clear stand in favour of smaller States and would not go back on this position. The CPI delegation was insistent that efforts be made to provide a special mechanism for law and order maintenance in Hyderabad that would be a joint capital for a decade.